This invention relates generally to heat exchanger apparatus, and more particularly to several embodiments of novel heat exchangers and heaters for smoke generators having the capability to provide both hot water and generate smoke.
Currently, smoke is generated without preheating the liquid smoke materials. This is inefficient and costly.
Without preheating the liquid smoke materials, smoke appears as wet and grey comparing with a good quality dry and white smoke. Drippings from the smoke vaporizer and wetting of the ground area also occurred due to large particles which are unable to vaporize, and which fall down quickly by gravitational force.
Especially in the gas turbine smoke generators, smoke materials are injected into a fast moving hot exhaust where the liquid smoke materials do not have sufficient resident time to be evaporated.
As a result, the heat energy available in the gas turbine is not fully utilized to maximize the smoke generation rate. The fall out of liquid particle decreases the yield of smoke and also causes potential safety and environmental problems.
It is an object of this invention to provide a heat exchanger smoke vaporizer and water heater for a smoke generator.
Another object of this invention is to provide a compact vaporizer with a built in heat exchanger.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel heat exchanger that can be of a tube and/or shell type which preheats smoke materials from ambient temperature up to the boiling point of the liquid.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a heat exchanger and heater system wherein more dry and white smokes are generated by the same type of generator at the same operating condition than the one without the heat exchanger vaporizer.
To provide a heater exchanger and heater system which is capable of heating other liquid median like water and liquid solution, is another object of this invention.